Republicans Winning Back Trust on Handling of Big Issues, Poll Shows

Suddenly, the Republicans aren't looking so bad.

A new Washington Post-ABC News Poll shows far more Americans trust congressional Republicans to handle the big issues than they did just a few months ago, as public approval of Washington sinks.

The poll showed the public still trusts President Obama more to handle challenges ranging from health care reform to terrorism to the deficit to the economy, but that Republicans are rapidly winning back confidence.

Over the summer Obama was more trusted on these issues by a gap of more than 20 points. Republicans have since closed in.

On the economy, Obama's lead has narrowed from 35 points to 5 points. On the deficit, Obama's lead has narrowed from 26 points to 2 points.

How that translates to electoral success in the November midterms remains to be seen. The poll showed Americans split down the middle on which party they intend to vote for in the fall -- with 46 percent siding with each party. Democrats held a 12-point lead on that question just four months ago.

The poll showed more than seven in 10 Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing, though it showed Obama's approval rating holding at 51 percent.

The poll of 1,004 adults was conducted Thursday to Monday. It had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.